In this Episode, I define Political Philosophy as an 'investigation into the nature, causes and effects of good and bad government.' I explain what this means and argue that we need Political Philosophy because it constructs conceptual models of fundamental notions - democracy, fairness, freedom, justice - which influence the laws, rules and regulations in society. I characterise conceptual models of networks of interconnected ideas and concepts. Examples follow in the next few episodes on power, freedom, social justice, open and closed societies.
Literature:
I found the following books to be good, helpful introductions to political philosophy:
- Alan Haworth, Understanding the Political Philosophers: From Ancient to Modern Times (2003
- David Miller, Political Philosophy. A Very Short Introduction (2003)
- Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (2022)
With books, it is often a question of taste, i.e. whether you like the style of the author.
